For many years the Lents community has requested the City's assistance in reversing economic decline in the neighborhood. These efforts have culminated in the adoption of the Lents Urban Renewal Plan by City Council in 1998, which outlines a comprehensive strategy for the revitalization process. The purpose of the Lents Town Center Business District Transportation Plan is to identify transportation system improvements that support the Lents Urban Renewal Plan's goal of revitalizing the Lents community.

The Lents Town Center Business District Transportation Plan is also intended to support the area's designation as a town center in the Metro Region 2040 Framework Plan. Town centers are designed to provide a wide range of locally oriented commercial and housing options that reduce the need for residents to travel out of the area for basic services. A key functional characteristic of town centers is a transportation system that encourages a high level of pedestrian, bicycle and transit access.

A priority issue for both the urban renewal process and the development of a town center in Lents is the revitalization of the traditional business district core. The business district core is centered around the intersection of Foster Road and 92nd Ave., and is anticipated to receive new development and more neighborhood oriented businesses. Transportation issues play an important role in redeveloping this area given its proximity to the Interstate 205 freeway. Large volumes of traffic generated by the freeway ramps are routed through the core of the business district, creating congestion problems and conflicting with the area's need to improve the pedestrian environment and provide access for all modes of travel. The area's lack of on-street parking also impedes commercial development in existing storefront buildings which do not have off-street parking to rely on.

The Lents Town Center Business District Transportation Plan was designed to comprehensively address these and other transportation issues specifically related to revitalizing the business district core area. Funding for the plan was made possible in part through a grant from the Transportation and Growth Management (TGM) Program, a joint program of the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. A citizens advisory committee made up of volunteers from the Lents community has helped guide the plan's development and its recommendations. Public input on the plan was also solicited through two open house events during the spring of 1999. The plan's recommendations include the following elements:

Street system plan for the business district core;

Streetscape design standards for street frontage improvements in the public right-of-way as redevelopment occurs.